One could argue that religion has made a comeback the last several years -- what with a commander-in-chief who sometimes claims God is whispering to him, and with entertainment offerings like "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" breaking box office records. Faith is
visible, and with the rise of intermarriage, sometimes complicated. In this age of birthright israel and rediscovered identity, we're more aware than ever that an Israel experience can be transforming.
Now "New Morning," an hourlong faith and values based show on the Hallmark Channel, is joining the investigation with a "true-life," diary-style documentary about how an encounter with Israel can impact someone who is raised in an interfaith family. And one of the largest TV production houses in Israel, JWorldTV, has been enlisted to run the casting search and produce the segment.
The ideal candidate, says Sigal Shaldag, the Managing Director of JWorldTV, is between 20 and 30 years old, grew up in an interfaith family where one parent was Jewish and the other was a different religion, and has never been to Israel. The "character" they're looking to cast is outspoken, outgoing and comfortable talking to the camera and is looking for her identity for the first time. The trip will be tailored to the selected person's particular interests, and will likely include both modern sites like the city of Tel Aviv and locations of religious importance to Jews and to whatever faith her non-Jewish parent is.
The accepted candidate will receive a free flight to and from Israel and hotel and per diem in Israel for a week. Candidates must be willing to appear on the Hallmark Channel and have their life filmed for a week. The search is scheduled to end on April 15th.
"New Morning," according to the Hallmark Channel Web site, is "filled with inspiration from the great faith traditions and from the lives of ordinary men and women who are doing extraordinary things." Most previous "New Morning" segments have featured Christian stories, but one installment featured an Iowan community's struggle to embrace the diversity of a recently arrived Chasidic population: In Postville, Iowa, residents were forced to re-evaluate their way of life after the local meat packing plant closed, only to be reopened by Hasidic Jews from Brooklyn, New York. The Chasidic Jews' value of a tight-knit community seemed to clash with the openness of many in Postville. The town's story continued when workers from Mexico and Eastern Europe flocked to Postville to take advantage of the plant's ample job opportunities, and residents faced further challenges embracing diversity. Gradually the communities came to understand and respect each other's differences.
JWorld TV specializes in creating flagship and cutting-edge programming and formats for various TV channels in Israel, and is run by Ananey Communications, which also manages the Israeli interest for CNBC, Nickelodeon, Discovery and MTV.
Interested parties can send applications through snail mail, or apply online and upload their videos through YouTube: see complete requirements here.
