Tomorrow night we welcome the iconic Jerry Springer to the MJCC stage, for a completely unique Annual Community Campaign donor event, never to be duplicated again. All of us at JCP are pretty excited about hosting him and hearing what he’s got planned for the night, but mostly we’re looking forward to talking with you, the audience, after he defies your expectations about ‘The Real Jerry Springer.’
It’s easy to mistake the public persona for the real human, and we have to admit we were guilty of it at first. Over the decades of his career as a TV and radio personality, we formed an opinion of Jerry from his legendary show- all the chair throwing, the hair pulling, the dirty secret revealing. But in the few months of preparations for tomorrow’s event, we’ve gotten to know a different guy.
The real Jerry is introspective, self-deprecating. He’s articulate and careful with his words. He’s easy going, kind, funny. He’s generous- not only did he fly himself here at his own expense, but he’s appearing for free and even made a substantial donation to the Annual Campaign. He’s a political activist and a committed philanthropist. He cares about the environment and people that live in poverty. He’s just, empathetic, and smart.
So, in an effort to share our enthusiasm, here are our ### favorite times Jerry’s shown his real self, the great guy we’ve gotten to know. Tomorrow night, those of you that have made your $118 (or more!) Annual Campaign pledge AND made your RSVP will get to know him, too.
7.- On Morality- “We are all born as empty vessels which can be shaped by moral values.”
6.- On the Human Experience- “We can’t just have mainstream behavior on television in a free society, we have to make sure we see the whole panorama of human behavior.”
5.- On Cultural Evolution- “There were 190 of us in my graduating class, and believe it or not, only two of the 190 were women. Of the 188 men, only one was African American. As a class we were too white, too male and too privileged. And though it certainly took too long to change, what comfort it is today to look out at all of you and see the racial, gender and ethnic diversity that really is America.”
4. – On Unexpected Career Turns- “No one would have picked me out in high school and said, ‘This guy is going to be in show business.’ I don’t have any of the talents you would normally associate with show business. I’m always playing a role, whether it’s the role of the mayor, the role of a news anchor, or a role of a crazy talk-show host.”
3.- On Celebrity Culture- “I don’t live in Hollywood. I don’t have celebrities as friends. I like them, but I don’t pal around with them. I just live in the Midwest, a real normal world.”
2.- On The Jerry Springer Show- “I am not superior to the people on my show. This is an understanding derived from a life spent on the front lines of human interaction. We are all alike. Some of us just dress better or have more money, or perhaps we were born into better circumstances of parental upbringing, health, brains and luck. It’s just a show. It’s not the end of Western Civilization. It’s chewing gum.”
1.- On Working for the American Dream- “Life is a gift — as is living in America. And I know that from personal experience. You see, I am not the first lawyer in my family. My dad’s brother was. His practice was cut short, as was his life — in Auschwitz. My grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins — they met their end as well in Chelmno, Theresienstadt and in camp after camp, Hitler turning my family tree into a single vine. Mom and Dad, by the grace of God, survived, enabling them to bring my sister and me ultimately to America.
“With four tickets on the Queen Mary, January 1949, we sailed into New York Harbor. In silence, all the ship’s passengers gathered on the top deck of this grand ocean liner as we passed by the Statue of Liberty. My mom told me in later years (I was 5 at the time) that while we were shivering in the cold, I had asked her “What are we looking at? What does the statue mean?” In German she replied, “Ein Tag, alles!” (One day, everything!)
“She was right. In one generation here in America, my family went from near total annihilation to this ridiculously privileged life I live today because of my silly show. Indeed, in America, all things are possible.
“So as we honor your achievement, may it be for you as it was for me, “Ein Tag, alles!” One day, everything!”
